Manifold record assembly



P 1962 B. E. FORSYTH ET AL 3,055, 681

MANIFOLD RECORD ASSEMBLY Filed Nov. 4, 1959 SIGNATURE DATE FIG. I

IN VE N TORS BRUCE E.FORSYTH MERLE P. PRATER FIG. 4

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,055,681 MANIFOLD RECORD ASSEMBLY Bruce E. Forsyth and Merle P. Prater, Vestal, N.Y., assignors to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Nov. 4, 1959, Ser. No. 850,931 3 Claims. (Cl. 282--22) This invention relates to a type of manifold record assembly in which one of the superposed record sheets constitutes a card that is adapted for utilization in a card-controlled data processing machine. This card bears legible data which is recorded thereon during the manifolding operation, and it also may contain machine-recognizable data such as punched holes.

In order that the card may be utilized in a data processing machine following its detachment from the assembly, it must be free of protuberances such as patches of adhesive or projections caused by staple punctures which might interfere with the passage of the card and/or subsequent cards through a machine. To meet this requirement, it has been proposed heretofore to provide the card with a detachable stub portion which is fastened to the adjacent sheet or sheets in the record assembly. When the card is separated from its stub following the manifolding operation, it will be free of fastening elements or distortions of the material caused by fastening elements. The use of a stub is not considered entirely satisfactory, however, because it either reduces the length of the card below the sandard card length, or dictates that the card must be greater than standard length with subsequent waste of material when separated. Also, a straight standard card edge is more desirable than the rough edge separated from a score.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved manifold record assembly of the aforesaid type in which the machine-processable card will be of standard length "and will have all of its edges smooth after being separated from the remainder of the assembly.

A further object is to provide a card to which adhesive can be applied to selected removable areas thereof Wherein the adhesive is positively confined to prevent its spreading to the usable portion of the card.

i The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. I

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a manifold record assembly embodying the principles of the invention, some of the constituent members of this assembly being shown partly displaced to illustrate the construction more clearly.

FIGURES 2 and 3 are fragmentary perspective views showing, in different positions, a certain pivotal portion of the record card employed in thi manifold assembly.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing one form of pivotal portion having an embossed ring dam thereon for confining the adhesive.

FIGURE 5 is a cross section on the line 55 in FIG- URE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a pivotal portion having a printed ring dam thereon for confining the adhesive.

FIGURE 7 is another embodiment showing another type dam for confining the adhesive.

The manifold record assembly shown in FIGURE 1 comprises a record card 10 of the type utilized in cardcontrolled data processing machines, an overlying sheet 12, constituting an original sales slip or the like, and a transfer sheet 14 disposed between the sheet 12 and the card 10. The sales slip 12 is provided with a printed 3,055,681 Patented Sept. 25, 1962 ice format on which the items of a sales transaction may be recorded. Also, a line may be provided on the slip 12 for a customers signature. The intervening transfer sheet 14 is carbon coated in the area underlying the printed format on the slip 12 so that data written on the slip 12 will be transferred to a portion of the card 10 on which the legible information is to be copied. The card 10 is also adapted to contain machine-recognizable data in the form of punched holes or the like (not shown).

In the illustrated construction the transfer sheet is glued along its left edge (as viewed in FIGURE 1) to the original sales slip 12. The sheet 14 may be spot-carbonized in the desired area, or it may consist of a completely carbonized sheet having a shelved edge portion to which glue will adhere.

After the sales transaction has been recorded upon the slip 12, the sheets 12 and 14 are separated from the card It) by being peeled longitudinally therefrom, toward the left as viewed in FIGURE 1.

In order that the card 10 may serve as a machineprocessable record following its detachment from the sheets 12 and 14, it must be free of adhesive or other fastening means, and it must not be damaged by either the fastening means or by the detaching operation to an extent where it cannot pass easily through a card-controlled data processing machine. On the other hand, as explained hereinabove, it is desirable to avoid the use of a detachable stub on the card 10 inasmuch as this would either reduce the effective length of the card or require an extra length card with subsequent material Waste. Either case would leave the card with a rough edge after the separation of the stuf therefrom. The illustrated construction enables the card 10 to be detached from the rest of the assembly without reducing the length of the card and Without leaving any rough edge on the card or impairing its usefulness as a machine-processable record.

As shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, a number of removable, pivotal portions 16 are provided in the card 10 near its left edge, each portion 16 being defined by an interruped score 17 in the card material located entirely within the borders of the card 10. In the illustrated embodiment each pivotal portion 16 is connected to the body of the card 10 by :a pair of unscored pivot elements 18, which in the present embodiment are located fairly close to the left-hand edge of the portion 16 as viewed in FIGURE 1. All of the pivotal portions 16 are located within a field of the card 10 that, in a conventional card, would be allocated to the first three columns of information. In the present instance these three columns cannot be used for data recording purposes, but in this type of application it is not essential that every column in the card be available for recording data.

The principal consideration in the present instance is to provide a machine-processable card on which all edges will be left smooth following separation of the card from the rest of the manifold assembly and which will be of standard length so that it does not require the use of special card-handling equipment. To accomplish this, the card 10 is fastened to the adjoining sheet 14 of the assembly by spots of adhesive 20 (FIGURE 1) that are respectively deposited in aqueous form upon the pivotal portions 16 well to the right of the pivot points 18. That is to say, these glue spots 20 are located forwardly of the axis defined by the pivot points 18, as viewed from the free ends of the sheets 12 and 14 during the separation of these sheets from the card 10. While it is preferable that the card 10 be glued directly to the transfer sheet 14 at the glue spots 20 and that the latter in turn will be glued along its left-hand edge to the sales slip 12, FIGURE .1, it is also considered to be within the scope of this invention to employ spots of adhesive 24 for gluing the card directly to the slip 12, with the transfer sheet 14 being either loosely inserted or else cut away in those areas where the glue spots are located.

When the card It) is to be separated from the remainder of the manifold record assembly, the sheets 12 and 14 are grasped at their right-hand edges as viewed in FIGURE 1, and are pulled toward the left, thereby turning these sheets back and peeling them away from the card 10. This peeling movement of the sheets 12 and 14 causes each scored portion 16 of the card 10 to pivot around the axis defined by its unscored connecting elements 18 as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. The pivots 18 are so located with respect to the glue spots 20 that a definite mechanical advantage is afforded. Consequently, it is not likely that the adjoining sheet 14 will tear loose from any of the portions 16 before the pivot connections 18 thereof are broken by the combined twisting and pulling stress to which they are subjected. By the time each portion 16 has pivoted through an angle of 90 or greater, as shown in FIGURES 2 or 3, its pivot connections 18 will have been so weakened by twisting that a very slight pull will break these connections. The portions 16 will adhere to the sheet 14 after their separation from the remainder of the card 10. It is essential, of course, that none of the portions 16 remain clinging to the card 10 after separation of the sheets 12 and 14 therefrom, inasmuch as this might interfere with the subsequent use of the card 10 in a data processing machine. The arrangement described minimizes this possibility.

The illustrated construction insures that when the sheets of the assembly are pulled apart, each of the scored sections 16 will first pivot about its pivot points 18, as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, and then will break cleanly away from the card 10 at these pivot points 18 while remaining secured to the adjoining sheet of the assembly (which in the present instance is assumed to be the transfer sheet 14). The minute quantities of torn card material that are left at the broken pivot points 18 on the card 10 will not interfere with the use of the card in a data processing machine. The openings formed by the removal of the sections 16 likewise do not interfere with such use of the card 10. It will be noted that the left-hand edge of the card 10 (FIGURE 1) is not mutilated or damaged in any way by the removal of the sheets 12 and 14. The presence of smooth edges on all sides of the detached card 10 is an advantageous feature. Moreover, the length of the card is not reduced, so that the card can be handled by standard card feeding equipment.

Each pivotal portion 16 is preferably of elongated, rectangular configuration, extending lengthwise of the card 10, and it is so formed that the unscored pivot points 18 thereof are disposed between the short end of the portion 16. Such positioning of the points 18 helps to maintain the portion 16 flush with the card 10 prior to separation of the assembly and it also permits the maximum twisting action of the pivot connections 18 to occur when the sheets are being separated. The pivot points 18 must be spaced sufficiently toward the nearest edge of the card from the adhesive spot 20 on pivotal portion 16 so that a full tilting action of the portion 16 can take place because of the mechanical advantage as indicated in FIGURE 3, for example.

It is apparent that one may provide fastening means other than the glue spots 20 in the scored areas 16 of the card 10. So long as the point of connection 2t! between each portion 16 and the adjacent sheet is sufliciently well forward of the pivot points 18 to permit free pivoting action of the portion 16, as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. The portions 16 then will separate from the remainder of the card 10 with imperceptible effort and without materially damaging the card 10. As previously mentioned the connections between each portion 16 and the card 4: 10 are weakened by the pivoting and twisting movement thereof as the upper sheets are pulled from the card 10, thereby greatly reducing the effort required to break these connections and producing negligible distortion of the card material.

In applying a spot of adhesive 20 to a scored area 16 of the card 10, care must be taken that the adhesive does not spread over to the score line 17 bounding this area 16. If adhesive should enter the slit 17, it will tend to bond the portion 16 to the card 10 and hinder the pivoting action which has just been described. If difficulty is encountered in this regard, the adhesive 20 can be positively confined within the border of each portion 16 by providing a small dam on the scored portion 16 to prevent undesired spreading of the adhesive. One manner in which this may be accomplished is to form an embossed ring 22, FIGURES 4 and 5, on each portion 16 before the adhesive 20 is deposited thereon. The formation of the ring 22 can be accomplished quite readily in the same operation during which the portions 16 are scored.

An alternative means of providing a dam for the adhesive, illustrated in FIGURE 6, utilizes the mutual repelling action of oil and water. The adhesive 20 herein employed is water soluble, and to confine this adhesive as desired, one may print a ring 20, FIGURE 6, with an oil-base ink in the desired position on each of the portions 16. The printed oil-base ring 24, by virtue of its ability to repel the water in the adhesive, will serve as a darn for thereby confining the adhesive While it sets. The printing of the ring 24 may be accomplished by conventional rotary printing means during the manufacture of the card 10. A third method of embossing a small reservoir for the adhesive is illustrated in FIGURE 7. Reservoir 25 is formed by compressing a suitable hollow area in portion 16. This forms a recess for the adhesive 20.

After the adhesive spots 26 have been applied to the pivotal portions 16 of the card 10 and properly confined thereon, the remaining sheets 14 and 12 are assembled together with the card 10 in accordance with well-known techniques. In the illustrated construction, the sheet 14 is secured to the card 10 by the adhesive spots 20, and the sales slip 12 is glued along its left-hand edge to the sheet 14, as already described.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A manifold record assembly comprising a Writing sheet and a transfer sheet fastened together along one end in superposed relationship, a record card having a plurality of pivotal portions arranged near one end of the card, each said pivotal portion being defined by an associated score in the card substantially enclosing the pivotal portion and interrupted at two points to provide a pair of pivot connections about which said pivotal portions can be turned relative to the remainder of the card, and means fastening said pivotal portions to said transfer sheet near the fastened end thereof, said fastening means being disposed to one side of each of said pair of pivotal connections and toward the distant free ends of said sheets and card so that when the transfer sheet is peeled away from said card all the pivotal portions will simultaneously turn with the transfer sheet and subject said pivot connections to a twisting stress to facilitate separation of the writing sheet and transfer sheet assembly and said pivotal portions from the card without affecting the surface or the edges of said card.

2. A manifold record assembly comprising a superposed transfer sheet and writing sheet fastened together along one end, a record card, a plurality of pivotal tab portions cut in said card and positioned along one end of the card, each tab portion having oppositely disposed pivot connections with the card whereby opposite ends of the tab are rotatable through the plane of said card, and means for fastening each of said tab portions to said transfer sheet along the fastened end thereof, said fastening means being located on each said tab portion and closer to one end thereof so that peeling back of the free ends of :said writing and transfer sheets will cause all said tab portions to turn simultaneously with said transfer sheet and break loose from said card without affecting the surface or the edges of said card.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 402,136 Brain Apr. 30, 1889 FOREIGN PATENTS 3,518 Great Britain 'Feb. 20, 1905 

